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Logan Compton
University of Missouri Columbia
Advisor: Dr. Frank Feng
Abstract
There are situations where direct temperature measurements are not feasible, such as a surface heated by a high intensity laser. The sensors cannot withstand the intense heat produced from the laser. An alternate measurement method is to place the instrumentation on the back surface of the target. Using heat flux measurements compared to temperature measurements will result in a more stable solution. The heat flux sensor will be constructed out of two thermopile sensors, and by using a Wheatstone bridge the two resistances will be subtracted out resulting in an output voltage corresponding to a heat flux. The purpose of this paper was to perform a sensitivity analysis using Mathematica and Excel when there is no heat flux through the sensor to help determine errors during the experimental analysis. The results determined that if the properties of the two sensors were the same the non-heat flux sensitivity of the sensor was constant through the range of 0-400 C°. If the properties of the two sensors varied the resulted sensitivity through the range of 0-400 C° was non-linear. However, the properties of the three sensors given in the paper varied only slightly which resulted in a near linear sensitivity throughout the 0-400 C° range. The linear non-heat flux sensitivity can be easily compensated for in the experimental analysis.
Logan Compton grew up on a farm near a small town Milan, Missouri. After high school he went to Missouri Western State University where he graduated with an associate in manufacturing engineering. He transferred to the University of Missouri where he worked under the advisement of Dr. Frank Feng in the area of instrumentation as an undergraduate researcher. Due to his experience in data analysis he qualified to work at the Naval Surface Warfare Center under the Railgun program for a summer internship. Logan graduated in 2009 with Bachelors in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with an emphasis in Aerospace and a minor in physics. Logan is now a graduate student working under Dr. Randy Curry as a Mechanical Engineering Masters student designing a radiation containment facility and redesigning high powered microwave tubes. Logan wants to continue working for the department of defense where he is exposed to cutting edge technology while helping keep America free. |
